Bag dispenser with lower front retaining wall



Jan. 21, 1969 P. J. LA FRANCA 3,422,988

BAG DISPENSER WITH LOWER FRONT RETAINING WALL Filed July 15, 196'? INVENTOR.

United States Patent 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This dispenser is for bags to receive sanitary napkins. It comprises a vertical rectangular open-front case on the lower end of the front of which is pivoted in bayonet slots a vertical cover closing the entire open front but having a rectangular opening in its lower portion near the lower end, so that the folded bottom portion of the foremost bag of a vertical stack projects through the opening enough for easy removal of one bag at a time, the bags being urged forwardly by spring follower means in the back of the case against the cover and a low front wall on the case. The bayonet slots in the lower end of the cover permit swinging the cover down to a horizontal position and locking it in that position while bags are being stacked on it in abutment with the low front wall on the case. Then, as the cover with the stack of bags on it is swung upwardly and slid outwardly on its slots, the folded lower ends of the bags move clear of the low front wall and drop behind it as they deflect the follower springs inwardly and the cover is lowered into place, the cover being finally latched in closed position by a detent projection on the top of the case entering a recess in a top flange on the cover.

This invention relates to a dispenser for paper bags and more particularly one especially designed and intended for use in the home for the dispensing of paper bags of a shape and size suitable for receiving sanitary napkins, there having been a demand for a long time for a simple, economical, and practical device of this kind of sufficiently attractive appearance and easy to operate and refill to be satisfactory for home use.

A salient feature of the present device, which it is believed makes it so much handier to refill with a new supply of bags is the slidable pivoting of the front cover at its lower end on the lower end of the case by means of opposed pin projections on the case pivotally and slidably received in vertical bayonet slots provided in the side flanges of the cover at the lower end, the right angle upper ends of these slots permitting the locking of the cover in a horizontal open position while a fresh supply of bags is neatly stacked on the cover, as on a shelf, with the folded ends of the bags abutting the front wall of the case preliminary to the swinging and pulling outwardly and upwardly of the cover to position the folded ends of the bags above the front wall before the cover is closed onto the front of the case, the bags meanwhile being held in their proper place on the cover by the operators fingers so they can be kept in a neat pile while the lower ends of the bags are first pressed against the leaf springs provided as followers in the case and then dropped down behind the front wall of the case in an orderly array, whereupon the cover is closed onto the case, thereby insuring the correct relationship of all the bags to the follower springs so that the projecting flap defined by the folded bottom of each bag will project properly through the window opening in the lower part of the cover as each bag comes to the front position for dispensing, another, each with the same 3,422,988 Patented Jan. 21, 1969 ice clean out operation and without crumpling or tearing any of the bags.

The invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bag dispenser made in accordance with the present invention, the same being shown wtih the cover closed and the fiap defined on the bottom of the foremost bag inside the case projecting through the window in the lower end of the cover ready to be taken hold of in the removal of the bag;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dispenser when empty, showing the cover in its horizontal open position for refilling and indicating the two follower leaf springs in dotted lines in order to permit showing inside details of the case to better advantage;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3- of FIG. 1, and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are, respectively, a perspective view of one of the follower leaf springs and a side view on an enlarged scale of the lower front corner portion of FIG. 1 showing the length relationship of the bayonet slots in the cover to the height of the front wall on the lower end of the case.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawing, the dispenser indicated generally by the reference numeral 6 is adapted to be mounted on the wall 7 in a bathroom or toilet in any suitable manner, as for example, by two laterally spaced screws 8 entered in laterally spaced key-hole slots 9 provided in the back wall 10 of the open front generally rectangular box or case 11. A stack of paper bags 12 in folded fiat form stands vertically inside the case resting on the bottom 13 behind the low front wall 14 with the flap 15 formed by the folded bottom of the foremost bag projecting forwardly through a generally rectangular window opening 16 provided in the lower end portion of a hinged cover 17. This cover closes the front of the case and holds the stack of bags 12 in a substantially vertical position between the back of the cover and a pair of vertically disposed spaced parallel elongated leaf springs 18 that are mounted on the back wall 10 inside the case and project downwardly and forwardly with a free end portion 19 pressed against the lower end portions of the bags so as to be certain of having the flap 15 of the foremost bag project forwardly from the dispenser through the opening 16 like a tab for easy removal of one bag at a time from the dispenser.

The case 11 and the cover 17 are both, preferably, of molded plastic material. By such molding it is practical to make the lower portion 20 of the side Walls of the case 11 appreciably thicker than the upper portion 21, so that the width dimension a indicated in FIG. 2 between the portions 20 is approximately the same as the width dimension b of the window opening 16 in the lower portion of the cover 17, and substantially equal to the width dimension 0 of the bags 12 and their folded bottoms 15. Thus, there is no shoulder on either side of the case or cover to interfere with the easy removal of the bags 12 one after another from the dispenser. The bags depend upon the low front wall 14 to retain the same in the case up to the time the folded bottom 15 of the foremost bag is pulled forwardly for removal of this bag.

The molding of the case 11 also simplifies the matter of providing for each spring 18 two parallel horizontal bars 22 in slightly spaced relation to the back wall 10 for entry of the lug 23 on the upper end of the leaf spring 18 therebehind in the fastening of the two follower springs 18 to the back wall. It is also a simple matter in the molding operation to provide the transverse opening 23 in the lower end of the back wall 10 to provide clearance for the rearwardly curved lower end portions 24 of the follower springs 18 when these are almost completely collapsed by the substantially complete filling of the dispenser with bags 12. The cylindrical pin projections 25 that are provided in coaxial relationship projecting outwardly from the opposite sides of the lower front corner portion of the case 11 are also suitably molded integral with the case, as is also the elongated generally semicylindrical retaining boss 26 provided transversely of the top of the top wall of the case near the open front thereof to serve at a detent, arranged to engage for that urpose in a substantially semi-cylindrical recess defined on the inner side of an elongated boss 27 molded integral with and transversely of the middle of the top flange 28 pro vided on the cover 17 and molded integral therewith and serving to secure the cover in its closed position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Suitable ornamental ribs like those indicated at 29 may also be molded integral with the cover 17 and likewise a suitable trademark indicated at 30, and the generally rectangular rib 31 indicated around the window opening 16 previously mentioned.

Elongated bayonet slots 32 are provided Vertically of the lower end portions of the side flanges 33 that are molded integral with the cover 17 on the opposite sides thereof and spaced to receive the case 11 closely therebetween so that the pin projections 25, previously mentioned, which are pivotally and slidably received in the bayonet slots 32 and entered in the slots by flexing the lower ends of the side flanges 33 apart will permit pivotal and endwise movement of the cover 17 with respect to the case in moving from the closed position shown in FIG. 1 to the locked open position shown in FIG. 2, and vice versa.

In operation, it is clear that when the dispenser 6 is filled, or nearly filled with bags 12, the two follower springs 18 keep the stack of bags standing neatly in a vertical position behind the cover 17 with their folded lower end portions pressed lightly against the back of the low front wall 14 on the case and with the pull-out tab or flap defined by the folded bottom 15 of the foremost bag projecting, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, forwardly through the opening 16, in readiness to be taken hold of when a bag is to be removed for use, in this case for reception of a sanitary napkin. There is no need for the user of a bag to touch anything but the flap 15 of the bag, so that there is never any likelihood of the dispenser getting smudged and unsanitary. When all of the bags 12 have been used the cover 17 can be swung open and down to the locked open position shown in FIG. 2 for the stacking on top thereof of another stack of bags 12, using the front of the wall 14 as a guide in arranging the bags in a neat stack on the inside of the cover 17. Then, when the cover 17 is to be closed, the operator first of all, raises the slotted end portion enough to unlock it from the pins 25 and then slides the cover endwise forwardly while holding the stack of bags so they move with the cover and will clear the top of the wall 14 when the cover is pulled forward as far as it can go and is then swung upwardly to load the bags into the case in front of the leaf springs 18, the bags upon being released at this point dropping as a unit into place resting on the bottom 13 of the case, as seen in FIG. 3. The cover 17 can then be closed and latched at 2627.

It is believed the foregoing descripition conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. A paper bag holder from which to dispense bags comprising a vertically elongated generally rectangular open front case having a relatively low front wall extending transversely of the bottom thereof vertically upwardly from the lower end of the open front of the case, spring follower means in the case movable forwardly toward said wall adapted to urge a vertically disposed stack of paper bags inserted in said holder toward said front wall for withdrawal of bags over the wall in the dispensing of bags one at a time from said case, a substantially vertical cover closing the entire open front of said case 'but having a generally rectangular opening provided in the lower portion thereof above the aforesaid front wall adapted for passage therethrough of each bag as it is withdrawn from the case, elongated bayonet slot and pin means slidably pivotally connecting the lower end portion of said cover on the lower end portion of said case permitting endwise and transverse movement of the cover relative to the case whereby the cover is movable to and adapted to be supported in a substantially horizontal locked open position extending forwardly from the lower end of said case directly in front of said front wall so that said wall is adapted to serve as a locating surface against which to abut the folded closed ends of paper bags as the same are stacked horizontally on the cover preparatory to placing the stack of bags in the case, the cover with the stacked bags thereon being extensible in its horizontal position from said case on said bayonet and slot means enough to provide clearance for the folded closed ends of said stacked bags relative to the top of said front wall when the cover is thereafter raised and they are entered in the case and dropped behind said wall in front of said follower spring means before the cover is returned to closed position on said case, and means for detachably securing said cover in closed position on said case, the case having vertical side Walls the inner sides of which are in substantially coplanar relationship with the sides of the rectangular opening provided in the lower portion of the cover, the width of which opening is approximately the same as the width of the bags, whereby to avoid crumpling or otherwise damaging bags pulled through said opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,819,753 8/1931 Morris 221-58 2,775,365 12/1956 Mestman et a1 22l59 X 3,071,289 1/1963 Taylor 221-59 3,121,510 2/1964 Holzwarth et al 221-60 3,250,427 5/1966 Pogue 22038 X STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

